POSTDOCTORAL POSITIONS

Two postdoctoral positions are available at Department of Forest Ecology 
and Management, Faculty of Forest Sciences, Swedish Iniversity of 
Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Umeå, Sweden:

SLU invites applications for the following two 2-year post-doctoral 
positions:

(1)     Post-doctoral position in Forest Regeneration 
(2)     Post-doctoral position in Aboveground-Belowground Feedbacks 

The positions are both fully financed for two years will be based in the 
Department of Forest Ecology and Management. The post-doctoral researchers 
will be working in an active research environment with up to date 
laboratory facilities, glasshouse and access to field sites. Much of the 
work will be field-based. All the field work for the forest regeneration 
position will be based in the boreal forest of northern Sweden. Half the 
field work for the aboveground-belowground feedback position will also be 
based in northern Sweden while half will be based in temperate forests in 
New Zealand.

(1) Description for the Forest Regeneration Position (Ref No 251-169/09): 
There is much recent interest in the interactions between various 
disturbance types and forest regeneration in the Swedish boreal forest, 
especially given the importance of management and fire regime as 
ecological drivers in boreal forests.  This position will investigate how 
disturbance intensity may affect resource partitioning, resource use and 
spatial variability of naturally regenerating tree seedlings in the 
Swedish boreal forest. As such it will contribute to our understanding of 
manipulation of natural and anthropogenic disturbances as a tool for 
forest management. The scope of this position is deliberately broad, and 
will be adapted to suit the specific research interests of the researcher 
that is appointed.

(2) Description for the Aboveground- Belowground Feedback position (Ref No 
251-170/09)
This position will involve two components. (1) Fire intensity effects in 
the Swedish boreal forest. Wildfire is the main natural disturbance regime 
in boreal forests in Sweden. This work will involve characterizing the 
role of fire intensity (in terms of both canopy disturbance and humus 
burning) on aboveground and belowground processes that are relevant to 
ecosystem functioning and biogeochemical processes; (2) Invasive mammals 
in the New Zealand rainforest. New Zealand represents an 
excellent ‘outdoor laboratory’ for studying ecosystem consequences of 
recent invasion by alien species. This work will involve how invasive 
mammals in New Zealand rainforest drive aboveground-belowground feedbacks. 
The scope of both components is deliberately broad, and will be adapted to 
suit the specific research interests of the researcher that is appointed. 
It is expected that the researcher will travel to New Zealand each year 
for fieldwork while remaining based in Umeå. 

Qualifications for these positions are a PhD in Biology, Ecology or 
Forestry. 

Applications for either or both positions should include a written 
application, including curriculum vitae, a brief description of research 
interests, and a list of at least two references familiar with the 
applicant's qualifications. 

Read more about SLU: http://www.slu.se/

Further information about the Forest Regeneration position: Professor 
Marie-Charlotte Nilsson Hegethorn SLU Umeå, Department of Forest Ecology 
and Management, e-mail: [email protected] tel. +46 90 
786 84 40 

Further information about the Aboveground-Belowground feedback position: 
Professor David Wardle SLU Umeå, Department of Forest Ecology and 
Management, e-mail: [email protected] tel. +46 90 786 8471

Applications, marked with Ref No 251-169/09 (Forest Regeneration) and with 
Ref No 251-170/09 (Aboveground-Belowground Feedbacks), must have arrived 
at the Registrar of SLU, P.O. Box 7070, S- 750 07 Uppsala or 
[email protected] no later than March 10 2009.

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